True Heart of the Assassin
by SapphireSkies13
Summary: Everyone fears Itachi, the man that massacred his own clan. But sometimes there's more to the story than what people are led to beleive. Rated now for language, later possibly for sexual content. PS: I SUCK at summaries
1. A Different View

So, this is only my third fanfic, and my first Naruto fic, so feel free to be honest, but please be gentle. Some general things to keep in mind for this piece:

I am not familiar with the rules and specific meanings of the honoraries, so for your sake and mine, they will not be in this story. No –kun, -chun, -sensei, etc. I would only misuse them and make you very angry, so if your awesome enough to know which goes where, please feel free to see it that way in your mind, I'm not even going to attempt to get it right.

This would probably be considered an AU fiction I guess. It is mostly about Itachi, and the first few chapters will focus mainly on him, but don't worry. I'll be throwing in Naruto et al. later.

Please remember that this is a fan fiction, and don't get angry if it strays from the storyline (which it will) and inevitably causes characters to be out of character. I promise it will make sense, just give it a try.

Standard Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own it…if I did…well…the show wouldn't be suitable for children viewing)

Read, Review and Enjoy!

Chapter One: A Different View

Everyone will hate me now. They'll think I'm a monster. Hell, they're probably right. Maybe I was destined to be one. I mean seriously, what kind of kid becomes the captain of an assassination squad when he's thirteen. Even if I am a monster, I didn't want to do it. Despite what they'll think, what my brother now thinks, I didn't want to.

They'd never believe me though. If I tried to tell them I was forced to do it, they'd just laugh. And so I lied. I lied to the only person in this world I had left and told him that I hated him, and he was only living because he was weak. I know that's a lie though. In fact, I think the knowledge that it's a lie is the only thing that may hold me through the years. Knowing the lie and hoping one day he realizes his strength, and kills me with it.

I know that he would believe me. If anyone, my baby brother would believe every word out of my mouth, but then he would probably die from the guilt. He would hate me even more if I told him that I destroyed the legendary Uchiha Clan so that he wouldn't die. That I was confronted by a group of very angry men that wanted our people gone, and that if I didn't kill them, they would kill him…I refuse to allow him to live with the guilt.

I wish I could kill every one of those mother-fucking bastards. I want to kill them in such a way that they would wish their great great grandparents had never been born because that's how much they want to avoid the suffering.

Unfortunately, for the first and hopefully last time in my life, I am not the one with the upper hand. Now, there's no doubt in my mind, or in theirs, that I couldn't hunt down and kill them all, but I don't know all of them, and I won't risk losing Sasuke. I won't take the chance that they'll get to him, before I finish them off. But I swear, if he dies before me…they will live to regret ever having my breathed.

Until then, I guess I'll leave. The rest of the village will be waking up soon, and they'll have seen what I have done. They'll call me a monster and label me missing-nin. They'll send ANBU team after ANBU team to find me. But they won't. I want to die, but the blood that flows through my veins won't let me. I won't dishonor my family even more by taking my own life, or letting myself be easily defeated.

Only Sharingan can defeat me now…which means only Sasuke. So I'll wait. I'll go and continue on as an assassin…I don't care about people anyways. I don't crave for blood as most would think of me, but I want Sasuke to hate me. I want him to believe I did those things so that he will destroy me, so I must convince him, and everyone else that I am a monster.

"You're a monster. You destroy and will continue destroying until someone more powerful destroys you. That is your purpose," I chant quietly to myself, trying to force my mind to believe it.

I want them to hate me. I want them to hunt me. I want HIM to destroy me.

I want him to still see me as his big brother and love me as I have always loved him.

With these thoughts still coursing through his mind, 13 year old Uchiha Itachi took off from Konoha into the woods to start a life as one of the worlds most deadly missing nins.


	2. Another Chance at Life

Chapter Two: Another Chance at Life

4 years after the Uchiha massacre….

Uchiha Itachi was walking quietly through the forest, enjoying the feeling of being alone. He had just completed another mission with his Akatsuki partner Kisame, and wanted to get away from people for a while to be left with his thoughts.

Everyone considered Itachi to be cold, heartless, and completely void of any and all emotions. They were wrong. He had feelings and emotions just like every other human…he was just better at masking them and not letting them cloud his judgment. It had crossed Itachi's mind after destroying his clan to leave the life of an assassin behind, but killing was all he knew how to do. And since no legal and legitimate organization hires a missing-nin…he joined a not so legit one. But such is life.

Itachi was drawn from his thoughts by the sounds of screaming followed by laughter. More out of curiosity then concern Itachi headed towards the sounds. He perched in the branch of a tree near the edge of a clearing where he could easily see a group of boys, sound ninjas by the looks of their hitai-ates (A/N: I think that's right…if not let me know please) in a loose circle around a girl. The girl was on the ground staring defiantly at them, clutching two wolf pups to her chest trying to protect them.

"Look bitch, it's easy. All you have to do is kill the dogs, and we'll leave you alone. We promise," the largest of the group said while sneering.

"Go to hell asshole!" the girl replied, snarling at the offer.

The enraged boy drew back his foot and went to kick the dog closest to him, but the girl rolled her body so that her side received the blow instead.

"Listen you fucking slut. Kill the dogs or we'll kill you. Their bitch mother bit me, and since I can't find her, I want their blood, or I'll spill yours."

"Kill me then, I don't care, just leave them alone," the girl glared back at him.

Itachi was become more and more enraged as the conversation drew on, and when the girl told them to kill her instead of the animals, he felt a stab at his heart. He heard the words from four years past as if they were floating on the wind.

Flashback 

"_If you don't destroy the Uchiha clan, we'll kill your brother, and trust me…it will be a painful death."_

_"Bastard! I'll kill you before you even get the chance!" Itachi yelled, pulling out his kunai._

_He stopped when he heard the man's next words, "If I die, he dies."_

_Itachi glared at the man, his mind working to find a way out of the situation._

"_I want my revenge on the clan, and you're going to give it to me," his enemy told him quietly. "I have been planning this for years, making strategic moves. There is no way you can win._

"_If you want your revenge, then kill me. Kill their prodigy. It will be a heavy blow to them, trust me."_

"_No. I want them all dead. I will spare your brother as payment for this action, but the rest must die."_

_End Flashback_

Itachi leapt stealthily into the clearing and blocked the shuriken that had been thrown at the girl. "I'll give you one chance to leave," he told them calmly in his trademark 'I'm a cold bad ass that cares about nothing' tone.

"Who the hell are you, and why the fuck are you here? Do you a death wish?" The boy asked, amazed at Itachi's audacity to challenge HIM and his friends.

Itachi shrugged and quietly muttered, "Chance passed," before quickly and silently killing the group before they even really had time to register the man had even moved. Itachi put his kunai back in his pouch and turned to face the girl, expecting her to be terrified and trying to run.

The girl in question however, had picked herself up and was simply looking at him, clutching the injured pup to her chest. After a moment she looked directly into Itachi's obsidian eyes and spoke two simple words that made Itachi glad he'd saved her, "Thank you."

They were common words. People said them everyday, but usually not in those circumstances. There was no judgment, fear, or reserve in her words, despite what she had just witnessed him do. They were simply honest.

Still not quite ready to drop his 'emotionless' facade to this stranger, he chose to change the subject to avoid having to verbalize kindness. "What's your name?"

"Kyra. I…" the girl seemed like she was going to say more, but instead her eyes seemed to roll back in her head, and Itachi just barely reached her in time to catch her before she hit the ground. He carefully lowered the wolf pup she had been holding to the ground before laying her down. He guessed that she had lost more blood from the gash in her side then he originally thought, so he used his chakra to heal the wound. He picked the girl up brought her back to the Inn he was staying at.

He carefully removed Kyra's torn shirt and bloodied shorts. As he wiped off the dried blood, he noticed the various bruises that were covering her body in different stages of healing. He was positive that not all of them had come from today. When he rolled her over to check her back, he grimaced as he saw the scars that criss-crossed the otherwise beautiful skin.

Once he had gotten most of the blood off, he put her one of his shirts and layed her under the covers of his bed, lifting the pups up to join her so they'd stop whining. He took a quick shower and changed into clean clothes before leaving the apartment. He was hungry, and needed time to think of what he was going to do. It certainly didn't look good for his 'I don't care' attitude to be taking in this girl, but at the same time for some reason he didn't care.

Wiping these thoughts from his mind, Itachi spoke the mantra he'd been chanting for the past four years in his mind, 'You're a monster. You destroy and will continue destroying until someone more powerful destroys you. That is your purpose.'

For the first time in a long time, a voice he'd long forgotten he had answered. It was so different from the voice he thought and spoke in everyday. It was the voice that used to speaking lovingly to his brother and parents. It told him, 'That wasn't always your purpose. This isn't how you wanted to be.'

Itachi continues to argue in his head as he made his way into the village he was visiting, buying food and fresh change of clothes for Kyra. On his way back, he finally came to a decision. If he was going to act like he didn't care about what people thought, then he wouldn't. Who cared if they called him soft, or doubted him. He had more than proved himself in the past, and knew that he could still easily dispatch the toughest of enemies.

If the Akatsuki or anyone else had issues with what projects he involved himself in when not on missions, they would answer to his Sharingan and never live to question his choices again. He didn't have to explain to anyone, and he wouldn't.

When Itachi returned, Kyra had already risen from the bed, redressed, and was preparing to walk out the door. She froze though when Itachi entered the room, and looked down at the floor.

Itachi smirked and asked, "What happened to yesterday's confidence?"

"Yesterday I thought I was going to die, so I didn't really care."

He tossed her a bag while replying, "I bought you something clean to wear and picked up some food. Go change."

"The girl looked up at him with a bewildered look on her face. "Not that I don't appreciate it, but why are you being so nice to me? No one's ever nice to me."

Itachi seemingly ignored her question and told her, "Once you change and eat something, I'll take you home to your parents. I'm sure they're very worried about you." Actually, Itachi had no intentions of taking her back to the people responsible for giving her those scars, but decided to tread lightly, and try to get more information out of her before making any final decisions.

"I don't have parents anymore. They were killed when I was eight."

"Who do you stay with?"

"The man that killed them. He's the son of a feudal lord in this village. He's an asshole, but no one believes that. They all think he's such a nice man for taking me in when my parents were killed. None of them believe he did it."

"Then leave him."

"I've been living with the man for the past eight years. Believe me, I've tried. He always hires ninja and sends them after me. That's why I was trying to leave. I'm sure that they're tracking me right now, and I didn't want them to find you. Especially since you're a missing nin."

When Itachi didn't speak for a moment, she added, "You're broken hitai-ate kind of gives it away. So did the Sharingan eyes you used. I'm guessing that I have the pleasure of being in the presence of Uchiha Itachi."

"Hn," Itachi grunted, silently amused at her knowledge. Most people who weren't ninja didn't fully understand their ways, and her knowledge of the Uchiha clan was also mildly surprising. So was her lack of fear. "Since you know me, and I assume you know what I've done, are you not afraid?"

"Well, you haven't killed me yet, and if you do decide to kill me, there's not much I can do about it, so why bother." As she was speaking she noticed Itachi's Sharingan appear, and asked, "They're coming, aren't they."

"Aa,"

"Then leave quickly. I don't what you to get caught."

A murmur of shock actually registered on Itachi's face before being quickly swept away. Any other person would've been terrified of him. Any other person would have begged him to fight off the ninja, or tried to get him captured. This girl, who was about to be drug back to she didn't want to go to was telling him to leave so he didn't get hurt.

"I won't run," he stated simply.

"If you want to help me, then take these guys back to the forest so they can fins their mom. I don't like people to get hurt because of me."

Itachi grabbed her arm without thinking as she tried to walk past him and spoke before the words even registered to his brain. "Stay. I don't mind fighting."

"A…are….are you sure?"

"Aa. Here they come."

He stood there, with her next to him, and watched as four ninja burst into the room.

Itachi ignored them and addressed the girl again, "Do you want to come with me?"

Without hesitation Kyra looked into Itachi's eyes, swirling dots of black in read, and decided. "Yes,"

Before the ninja that had come to collect Kyra could even begin to fight they were dead. Itachi turned back to Kyra and again commanded, "Change your clothes,'

As Kyra went to the bathroom to change, he quickly picked up the few belongings he had in the room, and began going over the bodies, checking them for money or weapons he could use.

Kyra reemerged from the bathroom and startled Itachi with the venom in her voice, "This is not going to work for me. I don't do dresses." Itachi, having limited experience in women's clothing had simply gone into a store and asked the lady working their to give him something an average sized 16 year old girl would like.

Kyra was glaring at him sporting a low cut tight black dress that didn't come close to reaching mid thigh on her long legs. Itachi thought she looked beyond amazing as he felt his lower stomach swirl, and would have paid anything to make that the only article of clothing she could wear.

Clearly Kyra had a different plan as she began rummaging through Itachi's bag.

"I hope you don't mind, and I promise to pay you back, but I can't wear this. Especially not if we're going to be traveling," she told him as she pulled some of his clothes and a kunai from the bag and headed back into the bathroom.

Itachi didn't say anything out loud, but he had to admit to himself he was slightly disappointed. He did see her point though. The dress was REALLY short, and it definitely brought about an attraction in Itachi he hadn't noticed before. He shoved it aside though. Being nice was enough of a change to last him awhile. He'd work on the rest later.

Itachi sat on the bed and played with the two puppies as he waited for her to come back out. When she finally did, he decided that he was perfectly fine with her wardrobe change.

Kyra had cut his pants so that they came to just above her knee, and was wearing them low on her hips. She had a strip from the dress and was using it as a belt since Itachi's pants were quite baggy on her. She had also cut off part of the bottom of Itachi's shirt so that instead of meeting the pants it only reached to an inch or so above her bellybutton. She also cut the sleeves off the shirt, modifying them so that they were instead elbow length gloves that tapered to a V with the point at her middle finger on each arm.

"Why cut of the sleeves just to turn them into gloves?" he asked her curiously.

"That way if it gets hot I can take the gloves off. I couldn't very well take the sleeves off if they were still on the shirt, now could I?"

"Hn. Let's go," Itachi led her lazily out of the door and down the hall as they began their trip to the place he now called home.

A/N: Let me know what you think. Should I keep going or just give up now before I destroy things to badly)


	3. Free at Last

Chapter 3: Free at Last

Itachi and Kyra walked for about 2 hours until the sun was mostly set before stopping for the night. Itachi led them about ¼ of a mile off of the path into a small clearing next to a stream. They had been traveling in silence, neither person used to partaking in casual conversation.

It only took Itachi a few minutes to gather the wood start a small fire, and so he was quite surprised to turn and see Kyra had already caught 5 fish from the stream and was proceeding to cut up two of them, while the pups each had their own fish to enjoy.

"How'd you catch them so quickly? Itachi asked as he went to help prepare them. It wasn't like he couldn't do the same, but he was an Uchiha, and ex-ANBU, and had the Sharingan. She had no special trainings or bloodlines that he could see.

Kyra just shrugged and mumbled, "My dad."

"Hn," was Itachi's only response for a moment, but then he also asked, "Who's the fifth one for?"

"Their mother," Kyra replied, not looking up, but gesturing to the other side of the stream. Itachi looked and instantly saw a wolf pacing back and forth along the edge of the water.

"She's afraid of the fire, but she'll soon get over it."

"Hn," was again Itachi's response as he moved to the fire and began cooking the fish. Kyra followed after him, and the two sat next to the fire in a comfortable silence as the fish cooked. They remained there long after they finished eating, both seemingly lost to their thoughts.

The silence was broken by Kyra's sad statement, "They're coming again. He won't give me up so easily. I'm too valuable to him."

Itachi reached out with his charka and was silently amazed that she could feel them at all. They were at least a mile off, a distance most ANBU couldn't sense for, and certainly not one Itachi did unless he had to.

"What makes you so valuable to him?" Itachi asked, his voice not betraying the curiosity he felt. Kyra didn't answer, instead looking at the stream, the stars, the trees: anywhere but at Itachi. "Why don't you want to tell me?" he asked her, trying to make his voice gentle. He wasn't sure if he succeeded or not. It had been a long time since he'd tried being nice to anyone.

"It's the reason that he killed my gua…my parents, but even before that, it's the reason that people have always fought about me. Everyone that's known about it has always either wanted me for this particular trait, or wanted me dead because of it."

"You don't want to tell me because you're afraid I'll only want you for the same reason if I find out."

Kyra didn't respond, and continued to look away. Itachi gently reached over and turned her head to face him, and held her there for a moment before speaking. "There are very few things in this world that I need or want. I already have everything that I need, and the only thing that I am desperate for can only be given to me by one person, and you are not him. Your story will have to wait though. They'll be here in a moment"

"Why risk your life for me? You don't even know who or what I am."

"You're a lonely girl that has been mistreated by the worst type of person. I've done many terrible things in my life, but to continually beat an innocent child, and who knows what else. That takes a special kind of low. You're just an innocent child that got caught in a bad situation."

"No, I'm not."

"Then what are you?" Itachi asked, believing her opinion of herself would be much worse than the truth.

"I'm a monster," she whispered, eyes downcast.

Itachi chuckled lightly in honest amusement before saying darkly, "So am I."

Kyra raised her eyes to his, pained emotions evident in her bright green eyes. She replied with his most popular phrase, "Hn."

Itachi stood and removed his robe, preparing his weapons. Kyra stood as well, hovering directly behind him and trying not to shake too badly. She moved closer to him and grabbed onto his shirt near his sides, right above the hips, lacing her fingers into the fishnet. Kyra rested her head in between his shoulder blades, trying to calm her breathing.

"Relax," he commanded her gently, feeling the men slowing down, probably to strategize an attack. "You'll be fine,"

Kyra scoffed at his remark. "You say that you're a monster, but you're not. A killer, sure. Perhaps even a cold-blooded killer. Evil, I'm sure. But you're not a monster."

"I slaughtered my entire clan, except for my brother. I only left him alive to torture him. How am I not a monster?"

"I've only known you for a day, but nothing I've seen has screamed monster to me. I'm still alive."

"You've watched me easily slay a dozen people, some of them mere boys."

"They deserved it," Kyra replied lightly, causing Itachi to turn his head to look behind him.

"You have to be one of the most intriguing people I have ever met," he told her in his usual voice.

"Look who's talking," she replied.

Before the conversation could continue, a man with five ninja walked into the clearing. He came in slowly and confidently, a large smile on his face. Itachi sent out his chakra feeling another 8 ninja hiding in the surrounding forest.

"Listen hear boy," the man began to speak. "You've got a very important object of mine behind you, and I'd like to have her back. Let's try to make this as easy for everyone as we can, shall we Uchiha? The girl is of no use to you, but is very important to me, and I am willing to pay anything you require for her return."

Itachi felt Kyra's grip tighten on his sides, her breath quickening.

"I believe that she can make that decision on her own. She shouldn't be forced to go if she doesn't want."

The man laughed loudly, the sound echoing through the forest. "And here, I was expecting to find a most formidable opponent. I've heard such stories about the great Uchiha Itachi, the boy who slew his entire clan. I've been told that you are the most efficient killer alive today. Ruthless, emotionless, heartless. So why give all that up on this piece of trash. I mean, granted, she is a gorgeous girl, but I should warn you. She doesn't play very nice. Very hard to break. Why don't you just give her back and I'll find you an even better toy."

"What my interests are in this girl is not your concern. You're only concern is that I have taken an interest in her, and will not give that up so easily. I should warn you, your trying to force my hand will only ruin your chances. I do not respond well to orders, and the more you ask of me, the less likely it is I will respond."

The man squinted his eyes in fury before commanding in a small but strong voice, "Kill him."

The ninja flew from the trees and at Itachi, weapons being thrown from every direction. Itachi pulled out his Kitana and easily deflected all of them, sending most back into their owners, dropping the ninja dead. _'4 down, 9 to go,'_ he thought to himself. He heard a snarl and a cry for help and looked to see the mother wolf had crossed the creek and tore open the throat of a ninja that had been approaching behind him. He smiled inwardly and corrected himself, '_Make that 8_.'

Itachi performed a few seals, summoning four shadow clones, using the Bunshin he had copied from Naruto. The clones did their work quickly, and Itachi released the jutsu when only the man was left standing. Itachi could see the man tremble slightly, and could smell his fear, even though the man seemed to be trying to keep a cool demeanor.

"Well," the man began, his voice shaky, "I guess that means you're keeping her then. I'll just be on my way," he turned and fled into the woods.

Itachi was about to go after the man and slice his throat when he felt Kyra's grip tighten on him again. He figured that she was going to ask him to stop. Most people couldn't handle all the killing.

"Itachi," she whispered softly, rising on her toes up towards his ear and looking over his shoulder. She lowered her face so that it was cuddled into his neck before she spoke again, and at the sound of the words Itachi almost found himself falling in love, "Kill him for me. And make it hurt. I want to hear him scream."

Well, he wasn't actually falling in love. But the words did excite him more then he imagined they would. He normally didn't take pleasure in the kills. They were business. But this one…this one he was going to enjoy. He felt her grip tighten slightly before releasing him completely, and he quickly went to retrieve the man, dragging him back into the clearing a few seconds later.

Kyra sat on the ground and reached out absentmindedly to pet the mother wolf that had come to lie beside her. She wasn't really one to enjoy death and blood; at least she tried not to be. But the bloodlust ran through her veins, and she had no problem with the fact that she had asked for this man's death and was enjoying it.

Twenty minutes later Kyra rose from the ground and walked over to where Itachi stood next to the bleeding man. Looking into Itachi's eyes, Kyra wordlessly took his kunai and plunged it into the man's heart, a small smile gracing her lips.

Itachi felt his breath hitch slightly as he stared at the intensity in her eyes, almost animal like in their fury.

A/N: So, this chapter's a little weird…but I promise that it will make sense later……..I hope. A new idea for this story kind of came to me in my Calculus class this morning, so I'm just going to go with it and hope it works out. Let me know what you think!


	4. I’m too tired to think of a title

Chapter 4: I'm too tired to think of a title…so deal

They reached their destination the next day at two. Itachi stopped on a hill overlooking the complex nestled in the valley below them. He glanced down at the pups playing at Kyra's feet before speaking. "They can't go down there."

"I know. They were just coming along to make sure I was all right. She's very protective," Kyra said as she stroked the head of the mother wolf beside her.

Itachi battled his curiosity for a full 30 seconds until, for the first time in who knows how long, it took control of him completely, and he spoke before he could restrain himself. "How is it that this wolf just follows you around? Not just any wolf, but a wolf with two pups. She should be ripping your throat out for even thinking of being so close." His managed to keep his voice even and cool, as it usually was, but still cursed himself. He wasn't supposed to care.

"It goes along with why he wouldn't let me go, she told him, bending down to say goodbye to the wolves.

"I'll take that as a 'I'm not telling you'," he replied, rolling his eyes.

"Did you just display sarcasm?" Kyra said loudly, eyes wide and face with a mocking shocked expression. "I thought you didn't have feelings or….well, a personality."

"I never said that."

"Everyone else does. Your name is a highly discussed topic, especially among those who work with ninja."

"When I'm working, I am emotionless. It is how a shinobi is supposed to be."

"Yeah well, I feel I should tell you that your personality sucks pretty much all the time. You should work on that," she patted him on the shoulder before beginning to make her way towards the complex.

Itachi cocked his head to the side slightly as he watched her go, an actual look of surprise passed his face for a brief moment. "You've gotten a boost of confidence all of the sudden today," he told her as he moved quickly to catch up.

Kyra held her arms out and spun as she yelled her response, " That's because for the first time in my life I don't have to worry that if my shoe makes a noise on the floor I'm going to get beaten for it. I don't have to worry about people bursting into my room in the middle of the night because they want to…." She stopped spinning and turned back away from him as she caught herself. "You get the point," she finished quietly.

"How do you know you don't have to worry about such things?"

"Because you'll protect me," she said simply, turning to him and smiling sweetly.

Itachi arched his eyebrows as he responded, "you assume a lot."

Kyra shrugged and slowed her pace, falling in step with Itachi.

"These are not nice people," he told her after a few more steps. "They will not tolerate any insubordination at all. If you cross them, they may kill you. Fear of me will keep them at bay for a majority of your offenses, but not all."

"You mean they won't like me?" she asked in mock innocence.

"Honestly, I don't know what they'll do. No one has ever brought a non-member into the complex. I'm sure I can convince them to allow you stay, but you may be put to work."

"I've been working all my life. At least now I have someone to talk to."

"Hn. Just stay quiet around everyone else. You can't joke like that in my presence. It will be seen as a weakness for me."

"Talking is a weakness? Ya'll need to work on your people skills."

Itachi didn't even honor that with a response as they made their way into the complex. Itachi felt his fellow Akatsuki members sitting in the common area and so he headed there, deciding to get this over with.

All eyes turned to them as they entered the room. The other 7 members, and the leader of the Akatsuki sat at a long table covered with cards and plastic chips. The leader, Shinokura (A/N: don't know his name, so I made it up…just go with it), looked at Itachi in amusement, as did the others. After a moment of silence, Kisame finally burst out, "I win! I win the bet. Sasori, you lose. You have to be my personal slave for a week," he finished his rant with loud laughter.

"Bet?" Itachi asked, inwardly taken aback, but showed nothing on the outside.

"We had a bet going on how long it would take you to figure out how the male and female anatomy works. I said you'd get it before you were 21, Sasori had less faith. He said you'd never acknowledge the fact that humans were attracted to one another."

Itachi just looked at them, unsure of what to say. Kisame walked over and eyed the girl, smiling the whole time. "Don't worry Itachi. Everyone loses to the opposite sex, or same sex depending, at least once in their lives."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't agree with the way her master was treating her, and thought that maybe we could do a little better. Besides, I'm tired of eating Deidra's nasty ass cooking," he said, willing the blood to not rise to his cheeks at Kisame's implications. It intrigued him though, how they were all so accepting of the fact he had brought her there.

"Is nobody going to argue her presence?"

"Itachi, in case you haven't noticed, you're the only one who's really concerned with the security of this place. The only reason the rest of us don't bring other's around is because we're afraid you'd label them intruders and kill them before we had a chance to explain," Shinokura explained laughingly.

Itachi was speechless. No words would come. Was he really that bad? He didn't even like to kill. Still, he realized the words were true. He had always assumed no one was allowed, and would kill before asking questions.

Finally, he spoke, "You could have just told me that it was okay to bring people in, and I shouldn't attack every non-Akatsuki member in here. Besides, who would you bring?"

"Just because we kill for a living doesn't mean we aren't allowed to have friends or families you know. Not all of us destroyed every personal contact we had when we became missing nins. Not all of us are as into the job as you are either."

Itachi glared at Sasori, his thumb rubbing gently over the handle of his kunai. He wasn't into the killing, he was just into relieving the pain. When he was thinking about his missions, he wasn't thinking about Sasuke or his dead family.

"Enough," Shinokura said loudly. "Now, who is this?" he asked, pointing to Kyra.

"Kyra. I found her in the sound village about a day's travel from here. They will probably not be too happy today. I killed one of their feudal lord's sons last night. Well, actually she killed him, but I did most of the work."

"Why did you kill him?"

"Because he was trying to force her to go back with him and she didn't want to."

"This has what to do with you?"

"She wanted to stay with me, and I was inclined to let her. As I said, I believe she will be useful around here. Besides, as 'evil' as we all are…none of us are as bad as he was. There are certain things people should not be subjected to."

Shinokura, as well of the others, were well aware of the Uchiha's position on rape and other such acts, and mostly agreed. Many people deserved death, but no one deserved to be violated like that.

"I understand," the leader said after a moment. "She may stay, but will be watched carefully for the first few weeks. I trust your judgment that she is not a spy, and am not afraid even if she is one, but it is better to be safe then sorry. I refuse to underestimate any opponent."

Itachi nodded, as did Kyra, although she was struggling to hold back a snort. If the man had any iota of comprehension of what she was he'd probably send her to the other side of the universe. Either that or try to enslave like others had.

"Good," he told them after a short pause. "She will stay in your room for now Itachi, until we are certain she will be staying with us. Then we will look into getting her her own room."

"Aa," was all Itachi responded as he led her towards his room.

Kyra wasn't allowed to leave the complex for three months. During that time Itachi taught her the basics of chakra control and basic fighting skills. Occasionally Kisame or others would also come and help her, working on her hand-to-hand combat and weapons handling. The training started from boredom. Itachi wasn't allowed to leave the first month because he had to stay with her, and she got bored in watching him train.

However, she was a fast learner, and the others soon grew to like the idea of watching her pick up their lessons so quickly, so they would often help her when Itachi was off on missions. It was mostly for fun, though Itachi was determined that everyone should know how to fight. This is Itachi here.

Holding to what Itachi said on her first day there, she also cooked all of their meals, and kept the common rooms mostly clean. All of the Akatsuki members, except for Itachi, had homes off of the complex as well, but they mostly stayed on the complex, training and planning their next moves.

The day that her 3-month probation ended, they found that she had another useful skill that made them appreciate her presence 5 times as much. Diedra had returned to the complex with a limp Sasori in his arms. Both men were covered in cuts, and Diedra's fatigue was evident. Both men were fast approaching death's doorstep, and none of the Akatsuki members were advanced enough in healing.

They all hovered over the two, forcing their chakra into them, trying to close the wounds. There was no village close enough to retrieve a doctor from, and their attempts were failing miserably. Finally, the members admitted defeat as they had all drained most of their chakra, and they stepped away from the bodies.

Once they did Kyra finally pushed her way through them, glaring furiously. "Stupid men never listen," she grumbled loudly as she placed one hand on Sasori's chest, the other on the now unconscious Deidra. She closed her eyes and the other's watched in awe as a vibrant aqua chakra flowed from the girl and into the injured men.

After a few minutes the flow stopped, and Kyra passed out, landing safely in Itachi's waiting arms.

Shinokura looked to see that both men were breathing normally, and there wounds were closed completely. "How'd she do that?" he asked Itachi.

"I don't know," the young nin replied. "She told me people used to fight over her, but she would never tell me why. The feudal lord's son was certainly very intent on keeping her with him, but she won't say as to why."

"Is she a vessel?"

"No. There are no seals on her body. She has an exceptionally high amount of chakra, but I don't sense another being inside of her. If you pry to her hard, I think she will probably run. Whatever it is, she doesn't want people to know."

"Interesting. She's lucky I have grown so attached to her these past fewmonths, and that she reminds me of my own daughter. Otherwise I would be tempted to look into this further."

"You have a daughter?" Kisame asked incredulously. Their leader was quite a man of mystery, and the others were still very unsure of what he did when not at the complex.

"Two," Shinokura replied with a devilish smile. "Take her to rest Itachi. I don't care if she won't tell you what's so special about her, but I want to know more about this healing. It could some in handy for you on your next attempt to retrieve one of the vessels."

Itachi simply nodded and carried her to their currently shared bedroom. Kyra had insisted on sleeping on the ground, stating it was better that what she was used to. Tonight however, he placed her in his bed, gently draping the cover over her, before removing his own clothing (No, not all of it!) and sliding under the covers as well.

Kyra woke the next morning to the unfamiliar feel of a mattress underneath of her. It had been years since she had lain comfortably on a mattress. After a moment, she realized there was something even more unfamiliar about her situation, and she shifted slightly.

She felt the arms around her tighten as Itachi pulled himself from sleep. She turned her head back to look at him as he slowly opened his eyes. He breathed deeply, subconsciously enjoying her scent, as he willed his mouth to speak.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her, voice rough, as he gently removed her from his arms.

"I'm fine," she told him brightly.

Itachi winced slightly at the chipperness in her voice. He knew better than to ask such a thing when he wasn't awake. Kyra had already proved that her body required little sleep, and even first thing in the morning, she was already raring to go.

"How did you do that last night?" he asked her, deciding to get straight to the point.

Kyra shrugged as she sat up, turning so that her legs were over the side while stretching her arms over her head. "I honestly don't know. It happened the first time when I was six and my gua…dad got stabbed in the chest. I was leaning over his body, crying as he tried to breath, and the chakra just poured out of me. I can call it now, but it takes a lot of energy. I think the only reason I lasted so long last night was because of the chakra control techniques you've been teaching me."

"Shinokura was quite impressed."

"I was hoping maybe everyone would just forget," Kyra said weakly, falling back into a laying position, her head landing on Itachi's stomach.

"He doesn't care about that big secret you're hiding. At least not now. He is however interested in your healing abilities. If you can repeat said abilities it is possible you may be joining us on a few specific missions."

"Do I have to kill anyone?"

"No. We just want you there in case someone gets hurt, to heal. Other than that I think Kisame and I are both well aware you may not be much help."

"Gee, thanks. You couldn't have lied and said you wanted me along for my excellent fighting abilities."

"I don't lie."

"Everyone lies," Kyra replied faintly after hearing that last statement.

"I don't." Itachi insisted lightly, unable to resist the urge to run his fingers gently through her blonde hair that was splayed over his bare stomach and chest.

"You better be careful, Itachi. You're starting to lose that killer's edge to your voice."

"I don't need to sound like a killer to be one. Besides, wasn't it you that told me I needed to work on my personality?" he whispered quietly, mesmerized by her comfort level with him. Not even Kisame ever dared just flat out touch him unless battle required. Hell, even when he was still at home, the only person brave enough to really touch him was Sasuke.

Yet here was this girl, lying calmly with her head on his stomach, unaware of the thousands of ways he could easily end her life. Itachi mentally smacked himself for having such morbid thoughts. He was just so used to it. It was his own personal way to torment himself. He didn't want to be a killer, but he was. That's how everyone saw him, except for her.

"Can we work on my chakra control more today?" she asked him after a moment's silence.

"Sure."

"Well come on then, get it ya bum!" she yelled, jumping instantly to her feet.

"You do realize it's only five in the morning, right?" he asked as he moved into a sitting position and began sliding towards the edge of the bed.

"What! Oh, hell no. I may not need much sleep, but I refuse to be up this early," she yelled again, this time tackling Itachi as she dove back into the bed. She wriggled herself under the covers, pulling them up to her chin, before she finally rested her head gently on the pillow. Itachi shifted back onto the bed as well, letting the blanket pool around his waist.

A few minutes passed by, and just as Itachi found himself drifting back to sleep, he felt Kyra shift, resting her head on his chest and draping her arm over his body. She rubbed her face lightly against his chest before sighing contently.

"I thought you told me you didn't really like to be touched," he spoke softly in case she was already asleep, though he knew she wasn't.

"I don't," she replied, and after a moment added, "but I feel safe here. For the first time in my life, I'm not afraid. Funny isn't it…how I only feel safe in the arms of probably the most dangerous person ever. I blame my dad."

"Why?"

"He loved me and my mom, but he wasn't necessarily the kindest around to others. I guess you could say I've been in love with the bad guys all my life."

"Hn," Itachi grunted lightly, running his fingers lightly through her hair again. He traced his hand down her face and jaw line, tilting her head up to look at him. He leaned in slowly, gently brushing his lips against hers. She kissed him back eagerly, parting her lips slightly, but enough that he got the invitation.

The stayed that way for a while, gently exploring each other's mouths. Kyra pulled away with a sharp gasp though as she felt Itachi's hand run down her side and along her thigh. She rolled away from him, trying to bring her heartbeat back down and to not hyperventilate.

"I'm sorry," she whispered softly. "I…"

"Don't worry about it," Itachi cut her off as he rolled over to press his chest against her back, wrapping his arms around hr gently. "I can't even imagine how it must be for you after living with…and…well…"

This time Kyra cut Itachi off, rolling over to face him and pressing her lips softly against his. "You know, you're really not such a bad guy."

"Yes I am…to anyone that gets in my way."

Kyra kissed him again lightly before pressing her face back into his chest and drifting off to sleep.

A/N: Another chapter down. Yay! Let me know what you guys are thinking. I'm having a really hard time deciding how Itachi's character is coming along, so I would love some feedback. I know that the Akatsuki may seem a little…weak, but I try to imagine them as an anime mob for this story. They're bad bad bad people who doesn't hesitate to kill for what they want, but that doesn't mean they are devoid of emotions.

Let me know if there's anything you want to see happen and I'll be happy to take it into consideration. Read, Review, and Enjoy!


	5. He Knows!

A/N: So, I realized a typo in the first chapter. In the last paragraph it should have said that Itachi was 15 when he killed his clan, making him 19 now.Also, Kyra is actually 18...when they discuss her age in the story theysay she looks 16, but she's not.For the sake of this story we're going to say that Sasuke just turned 16, and Sakura and Naruto are both 15…just for reference. Enjoy!

Chapter 5: He Knows!

"Hello, little brother," Itachi said emotionlessly as he stared at his brother standing about 25 feet away from him blocking their path.

"Itachi." Sasuke spoke his brother's name as he brought out his Sharingan.

"Kyra, go wait off to the side of the path please," Itachi directed the girl with a wave of his hand. Kyra did as she was told, easily sensing the tension in the air.

"Time to die, brother," Sasuke growled, pulling a shuriken from his pouch.

"Not yet, Sasuke. You're not ready yet. But still, let's see what you have."

With those words the two brothers went at it, jumping and slashing at each other so fast that it was almost pointless to even try and watch. Kyra sighed deeply as she watched the younger Uchiha try to take the life of his clearly superior brother. Now she wished she had returned to the complex with Kisame after the boys had completed their mission (one they hadn't even needed her healing for, but Shinokura had wanted her to get a little taste of the way the members worked before being sent out to the real battles).

However, Itachi had said he wanted to show her something, and that had been enough for her. They had parted ways with Kisame over three hours ago and had since been walking in silence. At least until they came over the top of a hill and found themselves facing four ninja from the leaf village.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her neck and she quickly sank to the ground as Itachi had taught her, tucking her upper half and sliding from the man's grasp. "Itachi!" she managed to yell before her attacker struck her forcefully on her face, splitting her lip and causing blood to come from her nose.

Before the assailant could strike again, Itachi had broken from his brother, retrieved Kyra, and placed her in front of Naruto, who was the closest to her.

"Oh, how sweet. You saved the little bitch," chuckled the black haired Sannin as came from behind the trees. "I've heard rumors that she is quite the healer. I was wondering if you would lend her to my services for a while," Orochimaru suggested as Kabuto and several other sound ninja moved out from the trees.

"Not going to happen, asshole. Now get the fuck out of here so I can kill this cock sucker standing next to me," Sasuke growled threateningly as he moved a little closer to his brother. He had sensed the snake-man and his men approaching from afar, and had been discussing their arrival with his brother as they fought. Sasuke had certainly grown more intelligent over the years. If they were going to have to fight the Sannin and his nin, Sasuke knew it would be easier with Itachi.

Sasuke twitched slightly when he heard his brother comment to him casually, "I thought you were the cock sucker."

"Well, isn't that quite the sight, the last two Uchihas standing to….get….ther…" Orochimaru trailed off, his eyes widening as he stared beyond the two.

The Uchihas turned slowly to see what the man was looking at, never dropping their respective guards.

Naruto was breathing heavily, bending over with his hands on his knees. Red chakra was pouring out him, surrounding him and Kyra, who was trying to back away, but the chakra wouldn't let her.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Sakura asked, trying to keep an eye on the surrounding enemy while assessing her teammate.

"It's not me, it's Kyuubi!" he said in a strained voice.

"Kyuubi?" Kyra's eyes widened as she stopped fighting the pull of the chakra, allowing it to lead her closer to Naruto until they were almost touching. The chakra flared out to form the transparent form of the nine-tailed fox, only on a slightly smaller scale. Instead of growing to his full size, the Kyuubi made himself eyelevel with the girl in front of him.

"Daddy?" Kyra asked quietly, trembling as she neared the figure.

"Daddy?" a majority of the people on the path echoed, looking around for an explanation.

"Who has hurt you, daughter?" a disembodied voice echoed along the path, deep and menacing. Kyra simply pointed in the direction of Orochimaru, and the Kyuubi instantly fixed his eyes on the man, memorizing every inch of his person, as well his scent.

Orochimaru, seeing the fox fix his glaze on him, nudged Kabuto to help him summon a huge snake. The snake appeared along the path next to Orochimaru as usual, but froze upon seeing the Kyuubi's chakra form. The two stared for a moment before the snake retreated, refusing to participate in the fight.

Kyuubi turned to his container an growled an offer, "Let me have control for 10 minutes and I will give you instant access to my chakra whenever you desire. No more fighting for it, it's yours."

Naruto looked over to Kakashi and then to Sasuke. Both ninja nodded. This was the perfect opportunity to have Orochimaru destroyed, and Kakashi knew that the seal had a failsafe; that if Kyuubi ever got full control and tried to keep it, a seal underneath the seal would activate and send him back to his prison.

Naruto closed his eyes and the chakra fox dissipated back into the boy. After a moment, Naruto's eyes reopened, but they were no longer his. They were burning red with fury, and before anyone could register the movement, Kyuubi had slain Kabuto and was standing in front of Orochimaru, an evil smirk on his face.

Itachi was focusing so hard on Orochimaru and Naruto, as well as the other ninja around him, he never even felt Kyra came up behind him. He jumped slightly when he felt her arm brush up against his, and looked down at her as she stood there.

He felt the ninja surrounding them getting restless, and decided he wanted to have fun as well. He darted away quickly into the wood, sneaking up among the various sound nins and killing them with easy. Following his lead, Kakashi and Sakura joined him in his fight against the sound.

Sasuke stayed where he was, keeping one eye on Naruto and the other on Kyra. He moved to stand beside the girl, and after a moment asked her, "Are you with him because you want to be?"

Kyra looked at him and smiled, "Yes. He saved me."

"Hn."

"You sound just like him when you do that."

Sasuke whipped his head and glared full on at the girl, but before he could respond he was interrupted by a horrifying scream. Orochimaru was being held in the air by Kyuubi's chakra. The Sannin's arms and left ear were missing, and his body was covered in cuts and blood.

Kyuubi turned toward Kyra and spoke, "Come daughter, have your revenge."

"Thanks to him," Kyra gestured towards where Itachi was cleanly slicing a ninja in half with his Kitana, "I've already had my revenge on the man that destroyed my life. I don't wish to spill more blood."

"So much like your mother," Kyuubi whispered softly, smiling at the thought. "But your eyes betray you child. You have received my bloodlust, I can see it in your eyes. While it may not be strong enough for you to act on, it is still there."

"I don't deny it."

Kyuubi chuckled and turned to Itachi. "Would you like the honor then, boy. As payment for your helping my child."

"Aa," he said in true Itachi style and formed quick seals with his hands, using Amaterasu (God of the Sun: the black flames he summoned to break out of the mountain frogs stomach) to slowly devour the Sannin until nothing was left.

"I like your style, boy. Take good care of her or I'll convince this one to let me come out and play again," Kyuubi threatened darkly before turning to Kyra. "Love you, my baby girl," Kyuubi told her gently, pulling her into an embrace.

"Love you too, Daddy," Kyra returned the hug and stayed there as she felt the foxes chakra receding.

After a moment, a voice led Kyra to pull away, "Ha Itachi! I got your girl! Look at this, she's all over me!" Naruto taunted, now back in control of his body.

"Like I care. You like boys, dobe. Besides, I doubt Daddy in there would let you do anything."

"What are you talking about, 'I like boys!'? How do you know what I like?"

"Because I know what Sasuke likes."

"Which is?" Naruto asked defiantly, trying to maintain his dignity by proving Itachi didn't know what he was talking about.

"To be on top…while you're on bottom. Or to bend you over the counter, the couch, the…you get the point." Itachi smirked slowly and deliberately, daring the boy to refute.

Somehow the color managed to drain from Naruto's face at the same time his cheeks turned bright red.

"Can I just say ewww that you know that? Seriously….you shouldn't be watching those things," Sasuke said blandly from the side.

"Trust me, I wish I hadn't seen it."

"Naruto. I want you to know that I'm going to kill you now," Sakura said calmly, fists clenching.

"Because I'm with Sasuke?" he asked meakly, knowing her wrath was about to extracted on him for stealing her man.

"No. I'm long over that. I'm going to kill you because you lied to me. You totally told me you were into that girl that works at the ice cream place. Do you know how much work I went through to set up a date for you two when we got back? A LOT YOU LYING BASTARD!" Sakura's voice had started calm, but gradually rose until she was yelling at him while smacking him on the head.

"Can we focus on the deadly S-ranked criminal that needs to be destroyed now, please?" Sasuke asked, breaking up their fight. Kakashi was just standing off to the side, watching intently and prepared to help if necessary.

"Kill me then, brother." Itachi replied to Sasuke's request. "That's what will happen if we finish this fight. When I used that jutsu to take out Orochimaru, I used up too much of my chakra. I could still fight you and win, but would just end up dying from exhaustion, and I'd rather die at your hands. Give me the release I have been waiting for for four years."

Sasuke tightened his grip on the kunai for a moment before releasing it. It clattered harmlessly to the ground at his feet. "It's true then."

"What's true?" Itachi asked curiously.

"You didn't kill them because you wanted to. You were forced to."

"What would make you think that? Stop thinking and kill me!"

"I heard it a couple of times while I was staying with Orochimaru, but never wanted to believe it. Which is strange, because I always wanted to believe that you had a reason for doing it, and that you really loved me, but when I heard that what I wished for was true, I just couldn't believe it. But you're giving up too easily for someone who heartlessly butchered his people because he could. I think that I've always known, but refused to believe. You asked for release and not punishment or revenge. What would you need to be released from if you did it because you wanted to?" Sasuke paused for a moment before he continued. "You slaughtered our entire clan because if you didn't I would die. Why me, Aniki? You never even cared."

"I always cared."

"You never wanted to help me with my training or spend time with me."

"I didn't want you to become a ninja. I didn't want you to live the life I had. I thought if you were bad at it, they wouldn't push you as hard. That if you didn't spend time with me, being a ninja would lose its appeal. After I had to kill everyone though, I knew you would have to be one to survive. Then I wished I had helped you all those times you asked. You can't turn back time though. I nothing will erase what I've done. I'm an S-ranked criminal, and as a shinobi of Konoha you must bring me in or kill me. If you won't I'm sure your teammates will."

"Come home with me, Niisan. We'll explain what happened. They'll forgive you."

"Don't be stupid, Sasuke. Konoha will kill me the first chance it gets."

"Can't you try?" Sasuke asked, his voice finally breaking into a pleading tone from its normal cold demeanor.

"No."

Before Sasuke could respond, Kyra had come up behind Itachi and smacked him on the back of is head. Itachi glared back at her. "I thought maybe you got hit too hard earlier and the common sense got knocked out of you. Figured I'd try putting it back in. You live in hell because he (points to Sasuke) hates you for something you told him you did. And now he is forgiving you and you ask for death. You need some serious help."

Itachi sighed deeply. "Let's talk about it in the morning, otouto. That is, if your friends will be able to sleep with me around them."

Sasuke's teammates hesitated before nodding. Sasuke needed this, and even if it meant their deaths, they would allow him to have it. Besides, Itachi seemed much less intimidating when he allowed himself to be scolded so easily by a girl he could kill without thinking about it.

Kakashi spoke next. "What I want to know is how Kyuubi has a daughter."

Five sets of eyes turned to look at Kyra.

A/N: BTW...Thank you guys that have reviewed. I'm glad that you're enjoying the story, and canI just say you should be proud b/c you're my inspiration to keep writing. Thanks so much and keep them coming. I could really use some good ideas, too. I've got my finals week approaching and my brain is fried, so let me know if you have any good ideas!


	6. Of Demons and Guardians

Chapter 6: Of Demons and Guardians

"We should just stay here for the night. It will be dark soon," Kakashi spoke, his face turned towards the sky. He looked back down at his students and their most unlikely companions. "Let's set up camp quickly."

"Itachi and I will gather firewood," Sasuke offered quickly, heading into the woods before any arguments occurred.

Itachi's hand clenched involuntarily as he willed it away from his kunai. He wasn't used to being ordered around so lightly, and wasn't about to accept such from his brother. He was a cold-hearted killer that didn't give a fuck about his forgiving brother or the brat's friends. He would refuse to help simply because Sasuke had said he would.

At least, that's what he was telling himself until he felt a smack on the back of his head.

"Stop thinking about killing your brother. You know you don't want to," Kyra reprimanded him.

Itachi turned quickly and glared at her, wrapping a hand tightly on her throat, Sharingan flaring brightly in his eyes. "Don't presume that you know me so well, or you'll find that you'll be the one with the kunai gliding across your throat. I would suggest you remember your place in my presence," he growled at her menacingly, waving a kunai in her direction before releasing her throat.

Kyra stumbled backwards away from him, fear evident in her eyes. Though he would never admit it out loud, Itachi felt a pain spread like fire throughout his chest. He realized that it was the first time she had ever truly been afraid of him. The first time that she didn't trust him completely. He stood perfectly still for a moment, watching her tremble and move away from him, feeling his own hands trembling with the need to comfort her. To take it back and tell her how he would never hurt her.

Itachi turned suddenly and stalked off into the forest without another word. He walked quickly, stopping to pick up pieces of wood along the way, making sure his face revealed none of the turmoil reeling within him.

"I still don't understand why you wouldn't just tell me. I would have believed you, Niisan. And I could've kept the secret. You could've taken me with you." Sasuke was sitting on a branch in the tree Itachi was currently standing under.

"You say that now, but that wouldn't have been true when you were 11. No child would have been able to handle the news that their big brother massacred their entire clan so that he would still be alive. The guilt would have destroyed you."

"Better the guilt than the hate."

"You always hated me anyways."

"I never hated you!" Sasuke yelled furiously as he jumped down from the tree I front of his brother. "NEVER! All I ever wanted was for you to pay attention and spend time with me. Just to acknowledge I existed. I asked you to train with me because that's all I ever knew about you. You could've fuckin' taken me out for tea and cup cakes and I would've been happy! I WOULD'VE LOVED IT BECAUSE IT WOULD'VE BEEN WITH YOU!" Sasuke ran at his brother angrily, kunai clutched in his hand.

Itachi used his free hand to easily remove the kunai from his charging brother and effectively pin him up against the tree by his throat, never dropping the wood.

"Be careful what you wish for, Otouto," Itachi spoke softly as he removed his hand from Sasuke's throat, only to poke him in the forehead with it. "Just because I killed for you then, doesn't mean that I won't kill you now. Just because you know the truth doesn't mean that I'm going to become the big brother that you've always wanted me to be. I am a killer, first and foremost. Even before the death of our clan, I was a killer. It is how I was raised; what was expected of me. Nobody cared anything about me, as long as I could destroy anything placed before me. You should tread lightly in my presence. I do not handle stupidity well."

Sasuke responded quickly and without thinking, "Must be real hard dealing with yourself all the time then, huh? Probably want to take a kunai to your wrist all the damn time with all the stupid shit you do." Sasuke chuckled lightly and waited for death to come. He hadn't really meant to say it. It was more of a reflex from being with Naruto for so long.

Instead of the expected pain, he heard Itachi's voice, for the first time expressing the emotion it had always so effectively hid. "You'd quite possibly be surprised. Please do not treat me so lightly around others. The truth is not something I'm eager to let out."

"Why not? Maybe they'd let you come home."

"No, Sasuke. I CAN'T!" Itachi yelled, his face now betraying his emotions as well as his voice. "They'll make me tell them who forced me to slaughter the clan. And if I tell, then they'll kill you!"

"I can take care of myself," Sasuke stated defiantly.

"Hn. Come on, they're waiting," Itachi easily slipped back into his emotionless mask, turning to walk to where the others were.

"Will you at least come and see me, even if no one else knows?" Sasuke asked, his voice a combination of hope and pleading.

"You've spent years hating me, trying to kill me. How can you accept me back so easily? I remember you being just as emotionless as me last time. Now you show them to me openly."

"I've learned a lot since the last time we met. I've learned a lot from my friends about forgiveness and the importance of friends and family."

"I'll think about it. Now come on. I am interested in hearing this story," Itachi half conceded to his brother, hoping it would make him shut up for now.

"Aa," Sasuke agreed, picking up the pile of wood he had gathered before confronting Itachi. After a moment he broke the silence again, "Where did you find her?"

"Far away from here, in her own personal hell. I decided to pull her out."

"Ever the humanitarian, eh Aniki." Sasuke spoke with an evil grin. Itachi didn't even dignify the comment with a response, but did favor his brother with an intense glare.

"You need to lighten up some. I mean, what's the point of living if you're not going to enjoy life?"

"Why do you think I want you to kill me?"

"What are you? Suicidal?"

Itachi raised his eyebrows for a brief moment before looking away, again not responding verbally.

"If you kill yourself, I'm killing myself and coming after your ass."

Itachi scoffed and walked faster. "If I was going to kill myself, I would've done so already."

The brothers walked back into the clearing to find the three leaf ninja and Kyra resting against various trees, all facing towards a ring of stones clearly waiting to be filled with fire. Naruto had an assortment of fish and small animals prepped for cooking beside him.

Three tents were set up around the group.

Itachi and Sasuke dropped their wood by Kakashi, who quickly started a fire, before joining the rest of the group in sitting. Itachi walked casually over to Kyra and slid down gracefully next to her. It wasn't until he felt her stiffen and start to slide away from him that he remembered that not even an hour ago he threatened to kill her.

He snaked his arm quickly around her waist, pulling her close to him forcefully. It was all the apology she was going to get from him at the moment, and she knew it.

"So," Kakashi broke the silence. "How is it that you are Kyuubi's daughter?"

"Well, you see, when a man an woman fall in love and get married…"

"Ha Ha Ha! Seriously," Sasuke interrupted her from his position beside Naruto. "I thought that demons were sterile to anything other than their own species."

"Eh, what are you talking about?" Naruto asked.

"Do you not know the legends, Naruto? Itachi used to tell them to me to scare me when my parents weren't….oh. Never mind."

"It's okay. I'm used to the whole, 'you're parent never…' trail off. No, my nonexistent parents and older siblings never told me the legends."

"Well, allow me then," Kyra interrupted the two. "Though I severely doubt that the truth follows the legend very closely. Hundreds of years ago, before man became so populated on this planet, the lands were filled with beasts of enormous sizes. And not just one of each like most people think, but in large populations. Families of the great beasts lived together in peace, giving and taking just like their smaller versions still do today, though the great beasts were far more powerful and intelligent. Their job was to protect the land and all the creatures that lived there. But man became more prominent on the planet, and began to destroy the beasts for their meat and their fur. Their first attack was a huge one and effectively wiped out over half of the beasts in the span of three days. Some of the beasts grew angry and wanted vengeance for their fallen friends. Others still wanted to live in peace and continue to protect the other animals. Finally the differing of opinions became too great and so the beasts split. Those that wanted vengeance became knows as Demons and began a reign of terror over the people. The rest became known as the Guardians."

"I've never heard of the Guardians before," Kakashi commented.

"Most people haven't. There weren't very many that chose to be so, and many of them eventually changes sides. Also, people didn't distinguish between the two. If they saw a great beast the automatically assumed it was a Demon and would try to kill it. I don't know of any Guardians left alive today. This is also because, like their smaller counterparts, Demons and Guardians could only reproduce with their own species. Most of them died in the initial attacks though, and of those left, they were mostly different species. It kind of killed all chances of propagation of the species, ya know."

"So what about you then?" Sakura asked.

"The Demons and Guardians still alive after the initial attack grew in power and knowledge. They learned how to transform into humans and would do so in order to satiate any sexual desires they might have had. Of course, they were still sterile with the humans, despite the attempts of many Demons and Guardians. As it turns out, if a Demon and a Guardian mate in their human forms, fertilization is possible."

"So you're Mom's a Guardian then?" Naruto asked, trying to follow everything he was being told.

"Yes. A tiger. My Momma and Father ventured into the same village one night, both just searching for release. They met in a restaurant and went together to a hotel, neither aware of what the other truly was. They enjoyed that night so much, that they both returned to the village again and again, thinking that the other lived in the village and so hoping to run into the other. They often did run into each other, and eventually fell in love."

Itachi scoffed, "Kyuubi, the most feared Demon of all time, fell in love with what he thought was a weak human woman."

Words came from Naruto; though they were clearly not spoken in his voice or tone, "Don't underestimate the powers of a simple, seemingly weak woman, boy. They usually end up being much stronger than yourself." Naruto's eyes faded back into blue and he scratched his head sheepishly, "Sorry. He asked so nicely to be let out for a moment."

"It's OK, Naruto. Anyways, yes, they fell in love. Later they found out my Mom was pregnant and needless to say both were extremely shocked. Finally the truth came out, but they were too in love to care. Momma had me in her human form in a cave outside of the village, which is where we continued to live. It turns out that I can easily and naturally hold any of the three forms I desire: Human, Fox, or Tiger. It eats away at my parents' chakra to stay in human form though, which is why we stayed away from the village. We were happy for the first two years. Daddy stopped destroying villages at Momma's request, and we avoided people as a whole."

"How do you know you were happy if you were only two?" Sakura asked when Kyra paused in her story.

"I think it was because both of my parents were animals. Tigers and Foxes mature much more quickly than humans, so I had self-awareness and all that much earlier that a human would. My human form even developed more quickly at first, but slowed down to a more normal pace once I turned 3. Then, when I was 6 and started staying in my human form it began to develop as any normal kids would have. Really it's very complicated. I don't know how or why it worked because it has never happened before."

"Why were you only with you parents for two years?" Sasuke asked.

"My mother was killed by a feudal lord from the fire country for her fur. Daddy was away for a while. He went to visit one of the other great Demons, I don't even remember why anymore. When he got back she was dead and skinned, the people responsible retuned home already. He took me to live with Shukaka, the only other demon to know of my existence, before going to track down those responsible for Momma's death. He traced them back to Konoha, and you know what happened then."

"So you're saying that Kyuubi destroyed our village because the feudal lord there killed his lover and he wanted revenge?" Kakashi asked, disbelievingly.

"Wouldn't you? I'm sure being an experienced ninja you've killed people for less."

Kakashi and the rest said nothing for a moment, digesting the information they had been given. Finally, Sasuke asked, "What then."

"I stayed with Shukaka for about three or so years, until the moron went and got himself sealed in some kid from the sand village."

"Gaara. He's the Kazekage now." Naruto told her.

"Yea, well it sucks to be him. Shukaka is quite the blood thirsty one. He was good to me of course, and even calmed down some while I was with him, but he never stopped his destruction. His mate and children were killed in that first three-day raid those hundred and some years ago, and he never forgave man for it. After he got himself trapped, I transformed into my human for and went to the nearest village, pretending to be an orphan. I was 6 at the time." Kyra stopped again, breathing deeply, trying to relax.

"I think that's enough for tonight," Kakashi announced, noticing the stress evident on the girl's face and in her eyes. "Get some sleep. We'll leave at daybreak." Kakashi and Sakura rose and went to the tent they were sharing, while Sasuke and Naruto did the same.

After a moment Itachi rose to his feet and began to walk towards the tent he was to share with Kyra, but stopped when he realized she wasn't behind him. "Are you not coming?"

"I'll stay out here."

"Why?" Itachi growled, stalking back towards her.

"Why do you care?" she asked, looking up at him defiantly.

"Get your ass in the tent!" Itachi snarled.

"No."

"Fine, stay out here and freeze," Itachi brushed past her and headed into the forest. He needed to clear his head.

'Why do I care where she stays?' he asked himself as he sat at the top of a tree, staring up at the full moon. 'Why do I feel so guilty for threatening her?' He closed his eyes and meditated, trying not to think the day's events. 15 minutes later he jumped down from the tree and made his way back to the clearing. He had come to a decision while trying not to think, and knew he had to act on it before he lost his nerve.

He scoffed at himself. 'Since when do you even loose your nerve? You really are getting weak.'

He stopped walking when he finally reached Kyra, who was still sitting with her back against the tree, knees hugged to her chest. "I apologize for scaring you earlier and for being so rude. I would really like for you to come into the tent where it is warm, but will not force you to do so. If you need anything, let me know." Even though the apology was awkward, coming from a mouth not used to speaking such words, his voice was far more gentle and sincere then Kyra had ever heard it in the past months she'd known him.

Itachi walked away from her and into the tent where he removed his shirt and laid on his back, arms up behind his head.

'How does she do this to me? How does she make me say things I haven't said in years? The only other person I've ever told I'm sorry to and meant it was Sasuke when he'd ask me to train with him and I couldn't.' Itachi's thoughts were racing through his mind as he struggled to keep up.

Finally, another voice joined in the fray. One he hadn't heard since those months ago when he'd first saved Kyra. 'Why are you still concerned with what other's are thinking of you? Stop thinking about what everyone else thinks you'll do and do what you want, even if it is out of character. Everything you've wanted all your life is right in front of you, so stop being such a JACKASS!' his mind shouted angrily at him.

Itachi heard the tent opened and smiled slightly, all inner arguments dissipating quickly as Kyra made her way into the tent. He was taken by surprise when she moved quickly to him, straddling his hips before he had even registered his movement. She was sitting up, hands pressed against his bare stomach, looking deeply into his dark obsidian eyes.

"Can I help you?" He asked her quietly when she did not speak.

"Does it really not bother you? Who my parents are. The fact that my Daddy destroyed your village doesn't make you despise me?" she asked him lightly.

"No. You once told me people fought over you because of what you are. Is this what you meant?"

"Yes. No one has ever actually known the truth, but I got caught transforming once, so they all knew I was different. When all of their assassination attempts all failed, they knew I had power. Luckily the village was small and self-sufficient. People rarely came and went, so the word never really got out. If people did tell, the other villages probably thought they were crazy."

"Why did you let that feudal lord control you like that? And why did you tell me you didn't know how you healed Diedra and Sasori? You lied."

"I did lie. I'm sorry. As for the feudal lord, well, I didn't want people to know. I refused to use my power because then everyone would be after me, hunting me down. I refused to give him what he wanted, and destroying him would have been releasing my power, which is what he was always trying to do. Besides, I never really knew how to mold and control my chakra until you showed me how."

"Hn," was all Itachi responded as he trailed his hands down to where hers were pressed against his stomach. He wrapped his fingers around her wrists gently, stroking her smooth skin with his thumbs. Kyra was still staring into his eyes, neither breaking the gaze.

"It seems we both have haunted pasts then," he spoke lightly after a few moments of silence.

"But you can make yours better. Sasuke is willing to forgive you. Why can't you forgive yourself? Why do you refuse to let people in? Certainly you don't think that people will perceive less of you. And even if they do, you're smart enough to know that only works to your advantage."

Itachi didn't answer, and instead shifted his gaze to the side of the tent.

"What are you so afraid of?"

Still no answer from Itachi.

"Sasuke's strong. You're not going to lose him as easily as you think. He's not going to die and leave you like everyone else."

Itachi's eyes jerked back to hers, for the second time in his life betraying the pain he felt. Kyra leaned down, sliding her hands up Itachi's bare chest as she rested her forehead against his, nuzzling him gently with her nose.

"I'm not going to leave you so easily either. You're the only person that's cared about me since I was 6. If you think I'm letting you go, you're even crazier then everyone thinks you are."

"Everyone around me dies. If I don't get attached to people, it doesn't hurt when they go."

"Instead it hurts all the time," Kyra whispered in response. She added after a moment, "I'm not as fragile as you think."

"Hn. You can't even protect yourself against a stupid feudal lord's goons. What makes you think you'd survive in the world of ninja? I want you to go back with them and start a normal life. No more missing nins, no more S-ranked criminals. Nice, safe, normalacy."

"No."

"You don't have a choice. I'll stay with you until you fall asleep, but then I'm leaving."

"Then it seems that you're not the only one that has everyone that cares about them leave them," Kyra said icily, sitting back up.

"It's for the better," Itachi whispered. "Now go to sleep or I'll put you to sleep."

"Can I at least have you this once then, all of you, if I'll never get the chance again?" Kyra asked softly as she leaned down over him again.

A/N: I hope this wasn't too confusing. If so, let me know and I'll try to clarify. Just let me know what you think in general. I ended it like this because I'm hoping it will encourage people to review, as reviews are the fastest way to get an update from me. Example: I got my first review from the last chapter I posted today, which inspired me to actually type this up and post it. Thank you Mr. Dirk for all of your excellent reviews, they are really encouraging and helpful. Thanks as well to ShadowedSilverMist and sailorkagome-chan for their reviews in previous chapters. Read, review, and ENJOY!


	7. Just this Once

A/N: I know….it's been forever. I'm sorry. I had finals and then I went home for a week. Now I'm back at school to work for the summer and should hopefully have time to write.

Warning: This chapter is my first attempt at writing a lemon, so I'd appreciate it if you told me what you thought of it. I won't take offense if you think I should never write a lemon again. Also, if lemons aren't your thing, then just skip this chapter, I've made it so you won't miss anything too super important. Otherwise, enjoy!

Chapter 7: Just this Once

Kyra shifted a little lower on Itachi's waist as she ran her hands all over his bare skin, feeling the muscles twitch under her touch. She lowered her upper body to meet his again. She brushed her lips against his lightly a few times before gently flicking her tongue over them. Her hands tightened their grip on his shoulders when he groaned at the contact. Kyra took advantage of his now open lips to plunge her tongue into his mouth, deepening the kiss.

Itachi ran his hands over her hips and up along her back, sliding easily under her shirt, savoring the feeling of her smooth skin. Kyra slid down a little further, moving her mouth from Itachi's lips to his jaw, cheek, ear, and neck, kissing and sucking lightly, causing Itachi to groan loudly and dig his fingers into her. She nuzzled her face in the crook of his shoulder and neck, pausing for a moment to savor his smell and the feeling of comfort and safety.

"I think this is the most noise I've ever heard you make," she mumbled into his shoulder, sending shivers through his body. She moved lower again, moving her mouth to his nipples, sucking on one and then next as her hands slid down his arms, feeling the muscles there.

She made a trail of sloppy kisses and nibbles across his tight stomach before leaning up and blowing gently over the wet trail. Itachi gasped and jerked when he felt her breath hit the wet spots on his stomach, cooling the heated skin.

Kyra moved lower yet, nuzzling Itachi's hardening cock through his pants. She stroked the bulge with her palm for a moment until she found the tip and then lowered her head to suck on the head of his cock through his pants.

Itachi growled deeply, his hands now at his sides, clutching the bedding tightly, trying to refrain from ripping Kyra's clothes off and fucking her senseless. Itachi lifted his hips as he felt Kyra pulling his now unzipped pants down off his body, along with his boxers. She took her sweet time in doing so too, enjoying the torture she was inflicting on him.

Kyra reached back and ran her hands slowly up Itachi's legs to his inner thighs. Kyra leaned down and breathed on Itachi's cock, causing it to twitch in want. She moved down and kissed along his inner thighs, gripping his waist with her hands and making sure to avoid actually touching his penis.

"Nnnnn….aaaahhh! If…..i….if you donnnnnnn….taahhh…put my…ah…cock….in your…aaaa….fucking mouth….right now……ooooohhhhh…..I'm gonnaaaa….aaaa" he stopped trying to speak when he felt hot moistness around the tip of his cock, sucking gently. Kyra swirled her tongue around the tip of his cock before lowering her head and taking more of him in. Itachi hissed in air as he felt her take in even more of him, and he threaded his hand in her hair, gently massaging her scalp as she worked.

She continued her ministrations, taking him again and again deep into her mouth, making sure to put her tongue to good work, as she gently massaged his sac with one hand, the other on his hip. She felt him tense underneath as he groaned deeply, losing his vision as he came hard deep in her mouth.

She swallowed as much as she could and continued to lick and suck gently until he was completely finished and cleaned of before slowly trailing her way back up his body. The process was sped up greatly as he reached down and pulled her up hard, crushing her lips hard against his. He reached both hands down and quickly and squeezed her ass hard, causing her to gasp and allowing him to deepen the kiss.

He moved his hands back to her waist and he flipped her over quickly, taking control of their passion. He mimicked her earlier actions, feeling her body as his mouth found her neck and began to nibble and suck the skin fiercely. He spent a few minutes in that area, determined to leave a nice love bite on the side of her neck.

Finally satisfied with his work he quickly stripped her off all her clothes and pulled back for a moment to marvel at her beauty. Her stomach had long slashes that he could see traveled to her back, but to him the only made her more desirable. 'I would do anything to make sure she never had to feel pain again,' he thought to himself as he drank in her beauty.

After a minute he leaned back down and captured her lips in a gentle kiss. He moved down to her nipples, lavishing each one with attention from his tongue and fingers. He trailed one hand down and smiled against her flesh when he heard her groan as he lightly pinched her clit. He pinched and rubbed the bud, alternating between gently and rough caresses.

Kyra's breathing became heavy as she threaded her hand in his hair, pressing him deeper into her chest. Itachi continued licking and nibbling on her body as he made his way down between her legs, enjoying the sounds he was causing her to make.

He refused to let her find release so easily though, seeing as how she tortured him, so he continued moving past where she wanted him until he was kneeling at her ankles. He sat up and removed his fingers from her clit. He felt his cock twitch at the whimpers she made from the loss of contact. She looked at him questioningly when he didn't touch her for a few moments, causing him to grin. He held her gaze as he slowly lifted her left leg and began placing feather like kisses up it, starting at the ankle. He stopped when he got to her inner thigh and moved back down to repeat the same ministrations to her right leg.

When he reached her inner thigh this time he stayed there, but still refused to touch her where she wanted, instead continuing to kiss and lick along her upper legs. Kyra arched and squirmed under him in attempts to bring his mouth to her center, which only served to make him move even slower.

"I…i…Itachi…" she whispered breathlessly. All this time they had never broken eye contact and he could easily see that the desperation and lust that had been building was reaching its limit. He stopped kissing and moved to lie by her side, propping himself up on his elbow and grinning evilly at her.

"Is there something you wanted?" he asked her devilishly, one hand going back to stroking her inner thighs, occasionally brushing her outer folds.

Kyra moan lowly, trying to catch her breath and form the words.

"You're going to have to speak up. I'm not a mind reader you know," he spoke conversationally. He leaned down quickly and accentuated his sentence by lightly flicking his tongue over her clit, before returning to his place beside her.

"Aa…I want….oohh…I…you…" Kyra moaned loudly at the contact and tried to find the words to make him please her.

"If you can't say it, then I guess I can't do it," he shrugged, reaching with his free hand to play with her nipples.

"Aa…asshole…"

"You want me to play with your asshole?" he smirked, raising his eyebrows.

"You are an asshole!" she growled at him, reaching up and grabbing his upper arm again.

"Well, if you're satisfied, then I guess I'm fine," his smile grew wider as he began to pull away completely.

Kyra moved quickly, wrapping her legs around his waist and raising her upper body some to pull his face to hers. His body was still positioned between hers, one hand now supporting his weight, the other tangled in her hair as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I want you to fuck me," she told him breathlessly. Itachi knew she was only able to say it because she had broken the eye contact they had been maintaining the entire time. He tightened his grip on her hair and pulled her head back, forcing her to look at him.

"What was that?"

Kyra growled, her fingers digging into his skin. "I want you to fuck me. I don't care if you use your fingers, your tongue, or your cock, but if you don't do it now I'm going to take care of it myself."

Itachi kissed her roughly as he laid her back down.

He reached down and began rubbing her clit with his thumb as he gently prodded a finger into her. She gasped and he kissed her again gently. He shifted so that he was laying beside her, his hand the only part still between her legs. He continued to stroke her clit as he pushed another finger in her, kissing her gently all along her face, neck, chin, lips, and chest as he pumped in and out of her.

Kyra continued to moan and wriggle next to him, breathing erratically. He continued to alter the strength and pace at which he was going until he finally felt her walls tighten around him at which point he leaned down to capture her scream with his mouth.

Grinning mischievously to himself, he moved down quickly before she could recover and sucked and nibbled on her swollen clit for a moment before plunging his tongue into her, his thumb working on her clit again. He continued working until she came again.

He moved back up over her nuzzling her face as he watched her come back from her ecstasy. He smiled as he captured her lips with his as he positioned himself at her entrance. He pushed in slowly, savoring the feeling, until he was fully inside of her. He rocked in and out slowly, capturing her eyes with his as he twined the fingers of his right hand with her left.

They moved with each other until bliss overtook them both again. He collapsed beside her, pulling him into her chest as they tried to control their breathing. He held her until she fell asleep, wishing for all the world that he didn't have to do what he was about to.


	8. Alone Again

A/N: I know…it's been way too long, and I'm really sorry. I've had a few not so good things happening the past year or so, but I think that they've mostly gotten better now. Well, that and my computer crashed causing me to lose a good portion of my material. In any case, I've finally returned to classes and I have my computer back, so here we go again. If any of my previous viewers manage to catch this latest instilment, I hope that I didn't disappoint or lose my touch. And don't worry, I already have the next chapter over ¾ of the way written, I just have to type it up. Enjoy!

Chapter 8: Alone Again

Kyra woke up when she heard the unzipping of another tent. She looked beside her at the empty bedroll, and then around her to find that only her few items remained in the tent. She took a deep breath and rose to dress quickly. She rolled up her bedroll and picked it up with the rest of her belongings. She was about to exit the tent when she heard something fall to the ground.

Kyra looked down and gasped, dropping her things and kneeling beside the fallen object. She picked it up slowly, being careful not to harm it. She remembered seeing it once in his room and thinking it was absolutely gorgeous. She ran her fingers tenderly over the pendant as her mind drifted back to that day.

Flashback 

"It's our clan symbol in sapphire and diamond. All blood clan members receive them at birth. People who marry into the clan are also given one on their wedding day. The men of the clan would often give their necklace to the women they intended to marry until that day arrived, when she would get her own. The necklaces also have a chakra signature, so that the owner will always know where to find it, and the person wearing it."

End Flashback 

Kyra jerked out of her reverie, picked up her bag and bedroll, and exited the tent. She dropped her things right outside and walked over to the fire where Sasuke was sitting by himself. It was just barely dawn and the others had yet to rise.

"He left, huh?" Sasuke asked quietly, clenching his hands tightly. Kyra sat down next to him, still staring at the necklace in her hands.

"Yes," she whispered softly. Sasuke glanced at her to see what she was playing with. When he did he dropped his cup and his eyes widened before looking over to his tent where he knew his own necklace was lying around the neck of his still sleeping lover.

He reached out after a moment and carefully took the necklace from Kyra's hands. He reached around her and clasped the necklace so that it was hanging around her neck. He then pulled her into his chest and rubbed her back soothingly for a while before softly speaking, "Looks like I get to have a big sister, huh?"

"I'm sure that you would rather have a big brother."

Sasuke rested his chin on Kyra's head for a moment before replying, "I'll take any family I can get. Besides, if my brother likes you, you have to be something special. We're going to be one fucked up family, too. Me and my sister-in-law living in the Uchiha mansion with my lover, who doubles as my sister-in-law's father's vessel. It's probably a good thing the clan is dead, otherwise they'd probably disown me and Itachi."

"You sure do take the death of your clan lightly."

"I'm tired of living my life around their death. Granted, I would love to get my hands on the people that made my brother do it, but I'm not going to live my life around that. I did that for too long already. I don't think that they would want me to live my life for revenge anyways."

"I agree. I can't imagine they would want you to live your life trying to destroy others. Look Sasuke, you rally don't have to let me live with you. I can make it fine on my own."

"It's easier not to argue," Naruto's voice joined the conversation as he sat on the other side of Sasuke. "He's extremely stubborn. It can actually be rather annoying, but in this case he's right. You should come live with us. It'll be fun."

"I don't know. I don't like to inconvenience people."

"It's not an inconvenience," Sasuke said sharply.

Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arm at the elbow, trying to calm him as he replied, "Think of it as doing me a favor. I never had a family growing up, and now all I have is stupid Sasuke – teme here. I could use a little more love in my life."

"Thanks a lot Naruto," Sakura spoke as her and Kakashi joined the group around the small fire. "Just cast us off like we're nothing."

"I figured you'd hit me if I said I considered you family,"

"We're all family, even if Kakashi is loathe to admit it. He loves us deep down," Sakura smiled. Kakashi just rubbed his hair and looked away, choosing to ignore his students for the moment.

"But still," Naruto turned back to Kyra, "three other people in my family just isn't enough for me. I'd love to have a fourth."

"Well, who could refuse that," Kyra said, a smile lighting her face.

The group arrived in Konoha the next afternoon and went immediately to the Hokage's tower. As they walked into the office, Tsunade's back was to them, and she spoke without turning around, "So how did the mission go?"

"Fine. We escorted the boy and his goods back to the village without incident. We did have an interesting meeting on the way back, though," Kakashi responded.

"Really? What sort of interesting meeting?" Tsunade asked in a bored tone.

"One with Itachi…and Orochimaru."

Tsunade whipped around in her seat, eyes quickly scanning the shinobi before her. "No injuries?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Not a one," Kakashi replied evenly.

Tsunade smiled, "Ah, my amazing student Sakura must have healed them all for you."

"Actually, we didn't sustain any. Oh, and by the way…Orochimaru and Kabuto are dead. Permanently this time."

Tsunade's eyes widened and she found herself absolutely speechless. After a few moments, she finally managed to say, "And Itachi?"

"He helped kill Orochimaru and his nin. Then he left," Kakashi responded and neither he nor Tsunade's missed the sudden tension in Sasuke. Finally Tsunade acknowledged the girl standing mostly behind Sasuke and Naruto, as if trying to hide.

"And who is this?'

"My sister-in-law," Sasuke replied emotionlessly.

"What?!?!?!?!" Tsunade asked incredulously.

"Well, they're not actually married, but it's close enough for me," Sasuke told her, smiling wickedly as he pulled Kyra up beside him.

"Alright, someone had better start explaining things right now," Tsunade demanded.

Naruto began….

….25 minutes later

"So you believe your brother then, and forgive him?" Tsunade asked Sasuke.

"Yes. If he wanted he could've killed us all…in our sleep at that. He's not the monster that everyone believes, and I think that they should know that."

"Why didn't he come back then?"

"Would you?" Sasuke replied quickly.

"Point taken, but what do you want me to do about it?" Tsunade asked, gripping the bridge of her nose.

"Remove him from the Bingo Book and take him off the list of missing-nin. Maybe once he hears he's welcome here again, he'll come back."

"You know very well that I can't do that. He is still a member of the Akatsuki and wanted by other villages than our own for it. Even if he wasn't, the people of Konoha won't be as forgiving as you," Tsunade explained gently.

"The can go shove it up their asses!" Sasuke replied angrily. "I'm the only one that has the right to be angry, and if I've forgiven him then screw everyone else. Besides, all you have to do is order the ANBU not to attack him while he's in the village, and screw everyone else, there'll be nothing they can do about it."

"And what would you like me to tell the other villages when word gets around that Konoha is harboring pretty much the most dangerous and sought after shinobi of our time?"

"Tell them the truth. Tell them before he even gets back to the village so it won't be like we're trying to hide it. Do you're fucking job!"

"The Sand Village is willing to support your decision," a voice spoke evenly from the back of the room and all heads whipped around to face Gaara standing there, arms crossed over hid chest.

Tsunade sighed and buried her face in her hands. "Give me a few days to figure some things out Sasuke," she said when she finally lifted her head again. "Just a few days to think on it and come up with a game plan. And someone please find me Shikamaru," Tsunade commanded as she waved for them to leave. She then stopped herself for a moment and looked at Gaara, "Was there something I could do for you, Kazekage? I was not expecting your presence."

"No. I was just in the area and decided to stop by and see how things were going here," he shrugged and replied casually.

"Then everyone out of my office please. And you," she said pointing to Kyra, "I haven't forgotten about you and your…circumstances. We'll deal with you later." Tsunade said wearily as she plopped her head on her desk.

The five shinobi and Kyra left the tower quickly and quietly, not speaking until they were outside.

"How long were you there for, Gaara?" Naruto asked his friend.

"Just the very end," he replied shortly.

"You wanna go back to the mansion with us and hang out for a while?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Aa," was Gaara's only response.

The group walked in silence back to the mansion, Kyra on one end and Gaara on the other with Sasuke and Naruto in the middle. Sakura and Kakashi had decided to go back to their own places since they still hadn't been there since the mission ended.

As they entered the Uchiha compound and neared the mansion, Gaara broke the silence, "Why was Tsunade so worried about the girl, and who is she?" Gaara asked, curiosity finally getting the better of him.

"Oh! We're such idiots!" Naruto yelled out only to be met with Sasuke's response, "Che. You're the dobe, Dobe."

Naruto stopped the group, choosing to ignore Sasuke, and replied to Gaara's question, "This is Kyra. She's Itachi's lover and daughter to the Kyuubi. Kyra, this is Gaara. He's Kazekage of he Sand Village and the vessel for Shukaku. Say…didn't you say you used to know Shukaku?" Naruto asked, finally connecting the dots.

"Could you not tell everyone about that, please," Kyra asked before responding, "Yes, I know Shukaku. He's my uncle."

Gaara looked down at his stomach and then up at Kyra. "Are you telling me that I have your uncle sealed inside of my stomach?"

"Don't worry too much man. I've got her dad locked up in mine," Naruto said laughingly.

"He's a real bastard, isn't he," Kyra said to Gaara. "Always gotta kill everything and get blood everywhere and sing the most annoying songs. Do you ever have to hear him sing? It's awful!"

Gaara's eyes widen just slightly as she spoke of the existence that ruined his life on a daily basis. He replied, "Yes, he is quite blood-thirsty. Because of him I can't sleep. If I do, he takes my body over and kills everything."

"What! What a jerk! Let him out here for a moment."

"No!" Gaara exclaimed, actual shock registering on his stoic features. "He'll go crazy and kill everything."

"He will do no such thing, now let him out. And by the way, when he sings, sing 'the song that never ends' back. He HATES it. Now, let him out."

"No!"

"Well, can he hear me like this?"

"Yes, he can hear you just fine," Gaara said, shifting uncomfortably under the girl's intense demands and the strange situation.

"Good. Listen up Uncle, stop torturing this poor boy and killing people or I'm going to start spilling some amazing secrets of how _mean_ and _evil_ you really are," Kyra threatened in Gaara's general vicinity.

"Was that the best you could come up with?" Naruto asked, shaking his head. "That was lame. Everyone already knows he's mean and evil."

"Shukaku says that you've got nothing," Gaara said quietly.

"Oh really? Mean and evil, huh? How about the fact that he would always come and stay with me during thunderstorms because they make him nervous, or that when I was sad he would always…" Kyra was cut off when Gaara's sand clamped over her mouth.

"He'd like you to stop now," he informed her, sand flowing back into the gourd.

"Yea, I bet he would. If I hear one more compliant about how your randomly possessing people and torturing them then all of it's coming out. Every last detail."

"How are you going to go and threaten one of the world's most powerful demons?" Naruto asked in disbelief.

"To you they're these all powerful demons, but I grew up with them, for a while at least. He wasn't always so evil. In fact….well, I won't tell that story…unless of course he starts possessing Gaara at night again," Kyra replied, whipping her head towards Gaara at the end.

Gaara got a very wildered expression on his face for a moment, but when he spoke, the other two boys knew why, "Shukaku says 'Thanks.'"


	9. Power

A/N: So here's the next chapter…updated in a decent amount of time this go around, eh? This one was a little bit of a hard write for me. I'd had an outline all written up, but as I was typing, ideas flooded my mind and I struggled a little to type them before they disappeared. After re-reading previous chapters I decided that I was making Sasuke sound a little nicer and more of a normal societal member than I intended for him, so I tried to start remedying that in this chapter. Hopefully it won't confuse you too terribly. If it does, you can always e-mail me (or review b/c I like those) and I'll try to clear up his personality a little more. Enjoy! More should be coming in a week two!

Chapter 9: Power

Two Months Later…

"Honnies, I'm home!" Kyra shouted as she entered the Uchiha Mansion. A moment later she smiled as she heard the pounding of feet coming down the stairs.

"Ky!" Naruto shouted as he enveloped the girl in a huge bear hug. "I missed you soooooo much!"

"Naruto…air….please…" Kyra wheezed out into his chest.

"Sorry," Naruto released her, the grin never leaving his face.

"Thanks," Kyra glared at him a moment longer. Her face softened though as she peered behind him to Sasuke leaning nonchalantly against the wall at the bottom of the steps. To anybody else, he would've appeared to be the same cold bastard he always did, but Naruto and Kyra could see his eyes soften and his stance change ever so slightly, so that when she walked over to him, he could easily wrap his arms around her.

Kyra had been on her way back from the hospital, where Tsunade got her a job, when she had heard that Sasuke and Naruto where back from their most recent mission. They had traveled to the Hidden Village of the Sand to visit Gaara and help him disband a group of thieves that had been raiding villages and caravans in the area. The mission had turned out to take a little longer than anticipated, causing the boys to be gone for 3 full weeks. It was their first mission since Kyra had come to live with them, and the first time they'd ever had to leave her completely alone.

"Did anyone give you any trouble?" Sasuke asked as he released her from his hold and led her to the couch.

"Not really. Some rich man came into town while you were out and asked for my hand in marriage, though I'm not sure why," Kyra reported, disinterestedly.

"Really? What did you say?" Naruto asked with his normal fervor.

"I told him no of course. Actually I said no seven times, but he still keeps asking."

"I'll take care of it," Sasuke promised her darkly, eyes flashing red as he looked to the floor.

"Oh don't worry so much. I'm not going to say yes. Itachi's going to stop being an asshole one of these days and come back. I have complete faith." Kyra chastised Sasuke lightly. "Anyways, tell me about your trip."

4 hours of Naruto's talking later…

"It's good to know that Shukaku is behaving himself and letting poor Gaara sleep some," Kyra commented lightly.

"Yea, except for that's all he ever does now. It's actually pretty funny. He gets up around noon or so and takes care of the paperwork and other Kage things, and then if there's nothing else pressing he goes to sleep at like 8 at night," Naruto informed her laughingly.

"Well, wouldn't you if you hadn't slept in over a decade," Kyra asked him, smiling.

"The dobe does that anyways," Sasuke replied without thinking, ducking quickly as a kunai was hurled at his face.

"You know, one of these days you're actually going to hit him," Kyra scolded.

Naruto just crossed his arms and looked away. His anger, however, did not last long as he turned back after less then a minute and whined, "All that talking made me hungry. Can we get ramen?"

"I'm not particularly hungry, but you guys can go on ahead. I need to go and pick a few flowers and herbs for class tomorrow."

"Class?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Yea. While you were gone Tsunade put me to work at the hospital."

"How did she explain you're ability to heal?" Sasuke asked worriedly.

"Oh, she didn't. I don't use medic-nin techniques. I'm actually quite good at herbal remedies and medicines. I help treat the less injured patients, usually not shinobi. Things like lacerations, infections, and fevers…things like that." Kyra explained as she moved to put on a light jacket that Sasuke had given her, the Uchiha fan prominent on the back. He told her it had been Itachi's.

"You shouldn't be going out alone at night," Sasuke chastised her.

"I've been fine here by myself for three weeks, so I think I'll be okay. But if it will make you happy, I'll stay close to the compound."

"A lot of good that does when there is no one here," Sasuke replied without thought.

"Shut up and go eat, smart ass," Kyra quipped, turning to the door.

"You know you love me," he replied again not missing a beat.

"Yea...right," Kyra shut the door gently behind her as she exited the mansion.

Kyra grabbed her basket of the front deck and headed into the woods to find the herbs that she needed. After only ten minutes of wandering, she began to hear footsteps behind and to smell something unusual for the abandoned forest. She moved off the path and picked up her pace, making her way through the familiar woods, hoping that her follower wasn't actually following her.

She relaxed as she hears the footsteps grow faint and eventually disappear. She sighed in relief as she emerged from a bunch of trees only to come head on with a large group of ninja. The shinobi were masking their scent with animal hides, which led Kyra to believe that they must have known about her demon father, but she would wait and see before saying anything.

"Can I help you?" Kyra asked politely, playing the innocent card.

"I've already told you what I want. Your hand in marriage," a high-pitched male voice replied as its owner emerged from the group of men.

"I've already told you no. What would you want to marry me for anyways?" Kyra asked bitterly.

"To harness your power of course. Why else would anyone want you? I will find away to tap into that power and make it mine. And once you're married to me, the youngest Sharingan user won't be able to touch me, lest he set our villages at war. His Hokage will forbid it. You will come with me."

"Sasuke's the one you fear?" Kyra asked, slightly confused, but quickly hid it and decided to continue with the act of ignorance.

"My men have told me that all accounts of the situation report you were saved by the Sharingan user and that you have been with him ever since. Is this not true?" the man asked with a devilish smile.

Kyra's mind raced as she absorbed the information. So they thought that Sasuke had saved her and that Itachi was not at all in the picture, meaning that they would be unprepared for his attack, providing of course he would even come save her (which he had better otherwise the next time she saw him he would be missing some very defining pieces of the male anatomy). She quickly reached a decision as she replied, "No, that is how it happened, but you shouldn't discredit me so quickly as to assume you have nothing to fear from me."

"Girl, please. I had spies in the house of your previous master. I know of your submissive nature. Boys, grab her."

"Great, here we go again," Kyra muttered as two large shinobi closed in.

Sasuke and Naruto returned to the mansion about 2 ½ hours after they had left. Naruto fairly drunk and Sasuke trying to decide if he was amused or annoyed.

"Kyra! We're home!" Naruto attempted to yell, but couldn't seem to keep his voice at one level.

"Dobe," Sasuke muttered under his breath as he rolled his eyes and made his way further into the house.

"Hey, Sasu…aahh…" Naruto tripped over his own just-taken-off shoes and began to fall. Luckily for his nearly broken face, Sasuke managed to double back and pull him up before he smacked the ground. He held onto Naruto, keeping him tight against his chest.

"Be more careful, Dobe," Sasuke whispered lightly into Naruto's hair. Naruto tilted his head back so that his lips were resting against Sasuke's before replying, "Shut up and fuck me, teme-koi," he whispered huskily as he felt Sasuke pull their bodies impossibly closer together, crashing their lips together in a hungry kiss.

"I love you," Sasuke whispered gently as he lightly pressed his lips up against Naruto's.

"I love you, too," Naruto replied, reconnecting their lips again.

"Let's go upstairs."

Naruto grinned as he turned and led Sasuke to the stairs, dragging the panting Uchiha behind him by the hand. As he reached the base of the stairs, Naruto stopped suddenly and turned to face Sasuke, worry evident on his face.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked him, looking around for anything out of place.

"Where's Ky? I yelled for her so she should have been down by now."

Both boys stopped and reached out with their chakra, feeling for the girl's presence. "I don't feel her," Naruto said, panic evident in his voice. Kyra had become such a steady presence in his life the past two months that he felt he'd known her for years, as did most of the villagers that met her. He was freaking out at the thought of loosing such an important person.

"She's pretty far away. I can't feel her chakra, but I feel Itachi's necklace. Someone's masking hers but they can't mask the pendant Itachi gave her. C'mon, they're moving pretty quickly," Sasuke turned and stalked out of the door, Naruto right behind him.

Neither was feeling the effects of the alcohol they had imbibed earlier that evening. Their only thought was to find Kyra, the girl who had brought a little bit more light into their killer lives.

They leapt along the rooftops until they reached the city's wall, which they easily vaulted over and took then took to the trees. They had been sprinting through the woods for about 15 minutes when Naruto felt that they were no longer alone. He drew his kunai and jumped in front of Sasuke, deflecting the hundreds of needles about to rain down upon the Uchiha.

Sasuke had been so focused on following his brother's faint chakra signature that he hadn't even noticed the deadly attack coming at him.

'_Well that's never happened before,'_ Sasuke thought to himself as he pulled out his giant ninja star and hurled it, taking out two of the attacking nin. He was slightly shocked to discover that the thought didn't bother him nearly as much as it would have only a few months ago, and thought distinctly to himself that Kyra's nonchalant and laid back attitude was starting to rub off on him.

"Go on ahead," Naruto instructed him as he fought with the shinobi. "I'll get these guys and then catch up."

Sasuke nodded and took off through the trees, Sharingan glowing brightly; three tomoe twirling in each eye. '_I won't lose another important person.. I refuse.' _ Sasuke thought to himself as he navigated the trees, watching for enemies and traps. He smirked as he felt Itachi's chakra from the necklace growing stronger and he easily brought a kunai to each hand in preparation for the fight.

He easily bypassed a serious of traps and settled in the upper branches off a tree at the border of the small clearing where Kyra's captors had stopped. He crouched in his tree branch and peered down into the clearing just as man backhanded Kyra, knocking her to the ground. Sasuke bit his teeth down and closed his eyes, knowing from experience (mostly from watching Naruto) that attacking in anger was dangerous. He breathed deeply and prepared the clear his mind for the attack, but as he did so, he found a memory nagging that demanded his immediate attention.

**Flashback**

Sasuke was in the Uchiha compound training grounds, continually and slowly punching a tree with his right hand. He had been doing so for the past hour, but barely even registered the bruised flesh or the blood now trickling steadily from his torn open knuckles. He felt Kyra's chakra coming a minute or so before the girl walked into the training grounds, but he paid her no heed. She's been with him and Naruto for two weeks now, and he still wasn't sure how his feelings on the situation were. It was just too much to process, between having his brother back, losing him, and then having this girl enter his life who was technically meant to be family, at least according to Itachi's intentions. He knew that on the morning of Itachi's leaving them, Sasuke hadoffered her a place in his family, but the offer only ran skin deep.

Because Sasuke couldn't let people into his family so easily…not anymore. It had taken years for Naruto to break through his ice barrier, and despite his words and outer actions, his true heart and emotions were still shielded. As much as he told Naruto that he loved him…he just couldn't ever say the words to himself. And yet he cared for Naruto, and he found himself caring for Kyra, and it made him angry.

He was angry at his weakness, angry that he couldn't keep himself from people anymore. Angry that he had forgiven his brother so easily, if only to have him back again. Angry that he needed people…but more angry that he couldn't tell them…he didn't know how. He didn't know what it meant for him. He was a loner…too cool to have emotions and nothing broke through his ice façade. He was full of emotions and he hated it. He hated his anger and his hatred. He hated how easily Naruto and Kyra and Itachi and Kakashi and Sakura all saw right though him. They ignored his snide remarks and cold exterior in preference for the person they believed he would be if he'd let himself and he hated them for it.

And so here he was, bashing his knuckles into a tree and ignoring the girl who was to be his sister-in-law one day. Though he's never say it out loud, part of him loathed her. How easily she broke through his brother's cold exterior and made Itachi accept her when all Sasuke had ever wanted was for his brother to show him a little attention. And even though that part of him, the part that craved his brother's attention, trust, love…take your pick… was long dead and buried…the thought still burned Sasuke deep inside. He knew that it wasn't her fault, that it wasn't in her control, and so he wouldn't hold a grudge, not on the outside.

He stopped his punch a mere centimeters from Kyra's face as she stepped warily between him and the tree.

"What?" he snarled, a little colder than intended, but most things from him came out that way.

"Why are you so angry?" she asked him quietly and gently. At hearing the gentleness of her voice, so full of concern and without the hidden purpose of prying into his life, Sasuke felt at least some of the bitterness leave him…but only a little

'What are you talking about?" Sasuke snapped, lowering his fist and looking away.

"People talk about how happy you are with your life now, even if you're still a 'cold bastard'. They say how you've changed so much from the really cold bastard that you were a few years ago, and how you're finally letting people back in, if only a little. I don't see it though. You seem awfully bitter and angry to me still."

Sasuke wanted nothing more than to kick her through the nearest tree, but he couldn't. Her voice was too kind and unjudgmental, showing only concern, and not for the first time he wondered how someone so sweet as her could ever fall for his murderous brother. Instead of kicking her he looked down at her slowly, shoulders slumping slightly in defeat. More of his disdain for her trickled slowly out of him, much like the blood still running down his hand.

He found himself uttering the words before he could even register they were spilling out, "I don't think that I know how to love anymore." They came in a whispered rush, and as soon as they escaped he turned his head away from her. He didn't know why he said it, and to her of all people, but it just seemed right. Something about her made him want to tell her, like she could solve all her problems. Maybe it was her ancestry… she did say that her mother used to be a guardian, a protector and helper…maybe she was one to. Perhaps all that knowledge and wisdom had been passed on to her. At least that's what he'd tell himself.

Kyra chose not to say anything, instead taking Sasuke's unbloodied hand and leading him to the tree where she had dropped the bag she'd been carrying. She slid down to the ground and began rummaging through her bag as he sat carefully beside her.

She pulled out a bandage and a home-ade salve and began to tend to his injured hand as she replied. " I disagree. You know how to love and do it quite effectively, you just don't admit it to yourself. I don't think that you should worry about it too much though. You've been through a lot, so it's only expected that you'd be a little reluctant. When it's really important though, I think that you'll know. Don't get intimidated by people like Naruto and me. We love everyone even remotely important to us, though obviously some more than others. But people like you and Itachi reserve your love, and even your liking of people to two or three, but you love them fiercely when you do. Well…Itachi still does everything with a cold indifference, but I guarantee you that on the inside…he feels too. Hopefully one day he'll be man enough to admit it. Don't try so hard to turn into the nice sweet person everyone wants you to be."

"But if I don't love, how will I ever have family again?" Sasuke asked reluctantly, figuring that the conversation had already been started, so might as well try and get some answers.

Kyra applied the cool-green salve to Sasuke's hand, again thinking before replying. It reminded Sasuke of Itachi, and how he never answered a question until he was sure of his response.

"Family is such a binding term to so many people. A mother, father, children…all required in most people's idea of a family. Really, a family is what you make it. You have Naruto, and you don't need anything else. If you truly forgive him, then you have Itachi, too. And if you want me, then I'm always happy to be here for you, and I'm sure that others would as well, but you only have to take in those you want. The people that you care about…that you would die for and that would die for you in return…those are your family."

"What if I don't even love Naruto like I think I do? What if I'm just desperate and blinded by my need for acceptance?"

"Oh please, you know that you love him, so stop being a scared and whinny bitch and take you're fucked up emotions like a man!"

Sasuke just looked at her for a moment in shock before sputtering, "Did you really just say that?"

"Yeah, sorry. Got a little of my Dad in me, too. I'm not all sugar and patience you know."

"Obviously," Sasuke smirked.

**End Flashback**

As the memory ended, Sasuke looked down at his hand. There were no scars or even signs of the damage he had done, her salve had worked amazingly. As he looked, he realized that she had operated on his personality in much the same way. Nothing invasive or demanding, just a cool natural nurturing to help the healing process along.

And it had. He wasn't nearly fully recovered form the years of pain in his life. He still couldn't convince himself that he loved Naruto as much as he told the blonde. And yet, his fears were receding bit by bit, as was the anger he remembered. Maybe he didn't love Kyra, or Naruto…but he was ready to die for them none-the less. And so he re-gripped his kunai and smiled, sending chakra discretely to his feet for the run down the tree.


End file.
